important to christians?

Why is the word ‘God’ so important to Christians?

CREATION 1

What’s inside the box? Whose box is it?

• Open the Treasure Box and look at the teacher’s treasures

• Start making your own treasure box and make your own name to label it.

• Tom, Tessa and their Treasure Box –unpacking Christian things.

• Do we know any Christians?

ENGAGE

Who is special to you? What are their names? Why is God a VIP in a Christian family?

• We talk about VIPs.

• We meet the word ‘G-O-D’.• King of the universe

• Invisible

• Friend

• Everywhere

• … and discover it is a ‘name’.

• Jesus teaches Christians about God.

ENQUIRE

Maybe children will meet the word ‘God’ in a new way for the first

time in this lesson.

Muslims like a baby to hear the name ‘God’ before any other word.

What Bible stories/ words do Tom and Tessa learn about?

EXPLORE: BIBLICAL NARRATIVE

• Tom and Tessa wonder about jellies and jellyfish.

• Grandad reads about God making the world including sea-creatures.

• Why did God make jellyfish?

• Can we make a jellyfish?

• God is the ‘giver of life’.

What happens in Tom and Tessa’s church?

• Tom and Tessa get ready for a harvest service.

• They thank God for their food.

• They choose a harvest song.

• They go to Harvest Messy Church.

EXPLORE: CHURCH

How are Tom and Tessa taught to live their lives?

• Tom and Tessa learn to use the name of God with care; it is precious and holy.

• Mum’s pearls – and Jesus’ parable of pearls.

• Jesus says God’s name is holy in the Lord’s Prayer –Hallowed be your name.

EXPLORE: CHRISTIAN LIVING

How can we care for our wonderful world?

CREATION 2

What is so wonderful about the world?

• We read: Wonderful Earth –Butterworth and Inkpen

• We watch ‘Creation Calls’.

• Tom, Tessa bring in their Treasure Box again.

• We revisit the Creation Story.

ENGAGE / ENQUIRE

Whose job is it to take care of things?

• Clearing up a mess and meeting the caretaker – can we help put some things right?

• How can we take care of the world? Whose job is it to look after the whole world?

• Tom and Tessa help in the garden.

• We hear about Jewish New Year for Trees.

ENQUIRE

What Bible Stories/ words do Tom and Tessa learn about?

• Tom and Tessa look at bugs. They hear about Adam naming the animals.

• We sing a bug song from ‘Mini-Beasts’ (Out of the Ark): If I were a mini-beast

• http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=n8bKBOhGpcI



• Tom and Tessa prepare for a pet service for Animal Welfare Sunday.

• They learn ‘From the Tiny Ant’. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0sUPK7LqAj8

• They make ‘creatures’ for a new church banner saying: Lord you have made so many things! How wisely you made them! The earth is filled with your creatures! (Psalm 104 v.24)

EXPLORE: CHURCH


• Classroom tidy time for everyone

• Tom and Tessa work in the church yard.

• We find out about Umuganda.

• Tom and Tessa write a Beasty Bugs Prayer and plan a ‘Wonderful World’ Messy Church


How can we help others when they need it?

SALVATION 1

Can you help me?

• The superheroes visit our class.

• We find out about a snail who is a hero!

• We think how we can help.

• We offer to be a hero for the day!

ENGAGE

We may hear about a Sikh hero who helped others.

Who do you talk to if you need help? Who do Christians ask for help?

• How would we help the girl in ‘The Huge Bag of Worries’?

• 5 people to help – we make a helping hand!

• Tom and Tessa ask God for help in a prayer.

• We look at a prayer book and sing e.g. Kumbayah / Talk to him.

ENQUIRE

What stories do Tom and Tessa learn from the Bible about Jesus?

• We find someone who needs help lying on our floor!

• Our teacher mimes a famous story that Jesus told: The Good Samaritan

• We find out about the hero in this Bible story.


Why do Tom and Tessa light candles at the cathedral?

• Tom and Tessa have brought candles to light.

• Sometimes the twins worry and need help.

• The Bible says: Don’t worry.

• Grandad takes them to light candles in the cathedral as a sign of asking for God’s help.

EXPLORE: CHURCH

What special things do Tom and Tessa do to help others in Lent?

• Tom and Tessa go to a pancake party.

• The vicar announces the start of LENT.

• 40 days of doing good things even if we have to give up things we like.

• ‘Love Life Live Lent’ project


Why do Christians place a cross in an Easter Garden?

SALVATION 2

What is a bridge and how can it help?

• We think about the bridge in ‘The Three Billy Goats Gruff’.

• We build our own bridges.

• We use special words: help, rescue and save.

• We may hear a Buddhist story about a bridge.

ENGAGE

http://ottersrcjs.primaryblogger.co.uk/uncategorized/building-bridges/attachment/imgp2736-medium/

Why is a cross a special symbol for Christians?

ENQUIRE

• We make shapes with our bodies!

• We try making a cross shape.

• Tom and Tessa show us some crosses

• We learn about making the sign of the cross

What Bible Stories do Tom and Tessa hear?

• Tom and Tessa are given a palm cross at church.

• We dress up and re-enact the story of Palm Sunday from the Bible.

• We try out a ‘hosanna’ song.

• We learn of Jesus’ death and connect it to the cross symbol.



• Good Friday and eating Hot Cross buns

• Easter Saturday and making Easter Gardens

• Easter Sunday, the Easter shout and an egg hunt

• Organising an Easter photo-shoot

EXPLORE: CHURCH


• The Easter Garden is broken

• Whose fault is it? • Mum acts as a bridge,

like Jesus.• The cross is a symbol

of forgiveness and fresh starts

• Tom and Tessa re-make the Easter Garden


Why do Christians perform Nativity plays at Christmas?

INCARNATION 2

How do we know who someone is?

• Costumes and charades

• Tom and Tessa bring in dressing up clothes for acting Bible stories.

• Playing the part of Jesus –doing and saying amazing things

• What is happening here? Feeding of 5000 – John August Swanson

ENGAGE

How do Christians find out what Jesus is like? Who do they think he is?

• Act the story of the Feeding of the 5000

• Look at pictures of Jesus stories in a story-bible.

• Jesus is God come to earth.

• Interview an Open the Book team.

ENQUIRE


• What did the teachers look like when they were babies?

• Tom and Tessa bring in nativity figures.

• We match the figures to the Christmas stories.

• Jesus is like a treasure – he is God come to earth as a baby.


How do Tom and Tessa celebrate at church at Christmas-time?

• Sing Happy Birthday to Tom and Tessa.

• Lots of people remember Jesus’ birthday at Christmas.

• We help Tom and Tessa with their nativity play.

• We take photos of ourselves as nativity characters.

EXPLORE: CHURCH

What special things do Tom and Tessa do as Christians at Christmas?

• We practise wrapping presents.

• What is the best present at Christmas?

• Tom and Tessa go carol-singing for charity.

• We learn a carol too and talk about the words.


Why is every single person unique and precious?

INCARNATION 2

What does the word ‘precious’ mean?

• Imagine I am holding something precious in my hands: what could it be?

• Tom and Tessa like hunting for things.

• What did the woman in Jesus’ story need to find?

• We may hear about how Hindu sisters give rakhis to their brothers who protect and care for them.

ENGAGE

How precious is a baby? Is everyone precious?

• Meet a baby; it is precious.

• We all grow older; we are still precious… and unique.

• People look for us if we are lost.

• Mary and Joseph looked for Jesus when he got lost.

ENQUIRE


• Tom and Tessa need to practise acting a story of Jesus welcoming the children.

• We think about how we welcome others.

• We learn a welcoming song.



• Tom and Tessa go to a Thanksgiving for their baby cousin at church.

• God welcomes everyone.

• We make a church and act out a ‘Thanksgiving’.

• We make a welcome banner.


• Tom and Tessa invite us to ice cakes.

• We find out about ‘Bake and Brew’ for the Children’s Society.

• We learn Jesus’ Golden Rule…. and we remember everyone is precious and unique.

important to christians?

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